1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a natural pesticide composition and method. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a safe, green, natural eco-friendly pesticide and method of making the same, which destroys insects, parasites, or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals and humans.
Pesticides are chemical substances that deter, incapacitate, kill, or otherwise discourage any pests from coming in contact with the covered object. Target pests can include insects, parasites, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, fish, nematodes, and microbes that destroy property and cause nuisance, spread disease, or are disease vectors. The most common use of pesticides is as plant protection products to increase agricultural productivity, which in general protect plants from weeds, plant diseases, or insects. Additionally, pesticides are used in medicine, industry, and by many consumers. Although pesticides have many benefits, pesticide use raises a number of environmental concerns. For instance, nearly all pesticides have the potential to significantly alter ecosystems. Pesticides may also reach water, air, and soil and cause pollution and contamination.
Additionally, many pesticides are toxic to humans and may cause acute and delayed health effects to those who are exposed. Exposure to pesticides is known to cause a variety of adverse health effects, ranging from simple irritation of the skin and eyes to more severe effects such as negatively impacting the nervous system, damaging reproductive organs, and causing cancer.
The present invention provides an insect repellant composed of natural ingredients. The composition consists essentially of 70% isopropyl alcohol, wintergreen oil, rosemary extract, organic rosemary oil, and two large aged garlic bulbs in a distilled water solvent. The composition can be sprayed on a desired area to repel and destroy various types of pests, including insects and parasites. The primary advantage of the present invention is not only its composition of natural, organic ingredients, but more specifically its process of synthesis. The miscibility of isopropyl alcohol eliminates the need to use additives such as emulsifiers. Additionally, the process eliminates the need to stimulate the mixture of the ingredients over extreme temperatures and conditions. In this way, the method of the present invention increases the yield of desired composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to insect repellant compositions. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. Some of these patents describe a composition of rosemary oil and at least one diluent selected from the group consisting of various essential oils, lecithin, benzyl alcohol, cintronellal, and d-limonene. Another patent describes an insect repellent solution comprising a combination of at least two essential oils, citrus peel tincture, and vinegar. These formulations and methods of producing the same, however, are costly and difficult to synthesize. The following is a list of formulations deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
For example, U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2013/0142893 to Bessette discloses pesticidal compositions containing rosemary oil and/or wintergreen oil and methods for using the same. The pesticidal compositions comprise rosemary oil and at least one diluent selected from a group of wintergreen oil, peppermint oil, mineral oil, phenyl ethyl propionate, lecithin, benzyl alcohol, citronellal, d-limonene, safflower oil, soybean oil, and sesame oil. The pesticidal composition of Bessette is primarily used against fungus, bacterial, insects, arachnids, larvae, and larvae eggs. Though Bessette discloses use of plant essential oils to be used against invertebrate pests, Bessette does not disclose the use of garlic bulbs. The present invention comprises garlic bulbs that produce a repelling agent to discourage insects. Additionally, the pesticidal compositions of Bessette utilize synthetic versions of plant essential oils that may contain toxins such as pesticides, fertilizers, or carrier oils. In contrast, the present invention utilizes organically grown plants, thereby providing a better alternative to an existing pest repellent to the user.
U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2010/0196520 to Elraz (“Elraz '520”) discloses an insect repellent solution comprising a combination of at least two essential oils with an emulsifier and citrus peel tincture, and vinegar. The formulation is prepared by mixing the essential oils with an emulsifier and citrus tincture, and adding the mixture to distilled water at a temperature of 40° C. so that the final volume of water is 90% and the final volume of vinegar and oil mixture are each 5%. The formulation is thereafter mixed for approximately 2 hours using a mechanical stirrer. While the formulation of Elraz '520 combines active ingredients possessing repelling effects on insects, the active ingredients are normally immiscible and require an emulsifier to stabilize the formulation. In contrast, the present invention does not require an emulsifier to encourage the suspension of one ingredient in another. Additionally, the present invention does not require an extensive stirring.
Similarly, U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2011/0229589 to Elraz (“Elraz '589”) also provides an insect repellent solution comprising vinegar and a combination of at least two essential oils. More specifically, Elraz '589 discloses formulation comprising tee tree oil, vinegar, and essential oil selected from a group of citronella, rosemary oil, lemon grass oil, and neem oil. The formulation further comprises an emulsifier in an amount of up to about 10% volume per volume. The emulsifier is mixed with a combination of essential oils before being added to water and vinegar. The mixture is stirred for about 2 hours at ambient temperatures using a mechanical stirrer. Thereafter, the mixture is rested for approximately 24 to 72 hours prior to use. While the formulation of Elraz '589 combines active ingredients possessing repelling effects on insects, the active ingredients do not include garlic bulbs. In contrast, the present invention utilizes a distilled water solvent containing strong organic garlic extract. Additionally, the present invention does not require an emulsifier or extensive stirring to combine the ingredients.
Another device, U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2013/0156839 to Messina discloses geraniol oil-based formulations which may be applied to various surfaces to deter wildlife pests. The geraniol oil-based formulations further comprise mint oil, caster oil, sodium lauryl sulfate, kaolin, and xanthan gum. Although geraniol oil is known for use in plant based mosquito repellents, it is commonly used in perfumes and in flavors such as peach, raspberry, and grapefruit, among other flavors. As such, bees and other insects can associate the geranoil oil scent with nectar-bearing flowers, which can attract bees and other insects rather than repelling them. In contrast, the composition of the present invention is not made attractive to pests. The pesticide composition of the present invention comprises herb oils and garlic that produce powerful odor that repels pests. As such, the present invention deters, incapacitates, kills, or otherwise discourages any pests in unwanted areas.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,784 to Harney discloses pesticidal esters of pyrethrin or pyrethroid type in which the methylene group bonded to the ester carbonyl and/or ester oxygen bears a fluorine substituent. While the pesticidal esters of pyrethrin or pyrethroid type disclosed in Harney are very toxic to wide varieties of insect and other invertebrate pests, the esters are costly and difficult to synthesize. Moreover, the difficulty in deriving ester derivatives which contain a fluoro substituted methylene group α- to the ester carbonyl and/or α- to the ester oxygen results in an unpredictable yield of the desired product. In contrast, the present invention provides a method of producing a natural pesticide composition that is easy to control. Thus, the method of the present invention yields desired product with no contamination and no unpredictable yield.
These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. The present invention discloses oil based pesticide composition, which contain a mixture of alcohol, water, plant oil, plant extract, and garlic. The formulation of such pesticide makes such composition effective for deterring and killing a wide variety of pests. Moreover, the preparation of such composition does not require extensive synthesis of each of the ingredients, prolonged period of stirring, or exposure to extreme temperatures. Accordingly, the method of production of the pesticide composition of the present invention is consistent from batch to batch, thus resulting in invariable performance for killing pests.
It is therefore submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art, which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art devices, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing insect repellant compositions. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.